And, although Bayern are well aware that the 26-year-old is keen to stay at the Etihad Stadium, they are waiting in the wings should the situation change.

Kompany is well known in Germany, having spent two seasons at Hamburg before moving to City for £6 million in 2008.

Ironically, he moved to the Imtech Arena as a replacement for Bayern-bound Daniel Van Buyten, the man whom he would likely oust from the Roten line-up should the Bavarians lure him away from England.

Pep Guardiola, who will take over from Jupp Heynckes at the Allianz Arena this summer, is a long-time admirer of Kompany and would support any move by the club's hierarchy for the Belgian.

But the path to a transfer remains obscured by the fact that Kompany is settled in the north west of England, having married his Mancunian girlfriend in 2011 and enrolled at the local university.

The Belgian has very much bought into Abu Dhabi group's long-term project at Eastlands and remains a prominent figure in Mancini's dressing room, frequently acting as the intermediary between City's playing staff and the club's coaching setup.

Speaking after he signed a new six-year deal with the Premier League champions in July, Kompany enthused: "Man City as a project is not just a project of the owners or the people employed by the club; it is also my project.

"I have been here since the beginning and I have seen everything at the club change inside and out. I have the feeling that I have contributed to it too. It is good to know that I can be at City for another six years. It is a compliment that the club feels so highly of me."

Barcelona, Guardiola's former club, have also been linked with Kompany in the past and are also thought to be keeping tabs on the former HSV star.